Things I've learned in the first 6 months of a product role

September 15, 2016 Aly Merritt

"Oh, you know, just keeping a rainy-day reading library upright in my spare time." ~ WonderWoman Bookend Lady, who also works on her Product Management skills in her spare time. — **"Oh, you know,** just keeping a rainy-day reading library upright in my spare time." ~ WonderWoman Bookend Lady, who also works on her Product Management skills in her spare time.

It's been nearly six months since I moved from Client Success to the Product department at SalesLoft. I learned a lot in the first 30 days alone, but the next 150 days were a blur of discovering how different methodologies work, what user experience research should look like, and of course working crazy-hard to deliver new or improved features to our clients.

Because I'm a writer at heart, I thought I'd document this journey, all of the ups and downs and what-the-heck moments, and share it with the world. Maybe it'll help someone else. It'll certainly be good for a laugh later!

Things I've learned in the first 30 days of a Product role

May 18, 2016 Aly Merritt

What do you do when you start a new role? You read. A lot. Blog posts, Medium, books, you name it. Learn from others' mistakes and successes. — **What do you do when** you start a new role? You read. A lot. Blog posts, Medium, books, you name it. Learn from others' mistakes and successes.

Just over a month ago, I moved from a Client Success position to the Product department at SalesLoft. Even with a solid background in supporting our application, working directly with our customers, and decent writing and technical skills, it's still been a really steep learning curve (and I truly don't know how people successfully make this leap if it includes a whole new company and product). So, of course, I thought I'd document this journey, all of the ups and downs and what-the-heck moments, and share it with the world. Maybe it'll help someone else. It'll certainly be good for a laugh later, when I'm a grizzled veteran of The Product World.

Switchyards | So Much Soul

January 31, 2016 Aly Merritt

The obligatory across-the-street Switchyards shot. Which of course looks like everyone else's — it IS the building's best side, after all. — **The obligatory** across-the-street Switchyards shot. Which of course looks like everyone else's — *it IS the building's best side, after all.*

There's a new startup space in town, and it's creating some serious buzz among Atlanta entrepreneurs. It's crystallizing vague business proposals and turning "one day I will ..." thoughts into "today I will" motivations. It's galvanizing business-to-consumer discussions all over the city.

It should. It's designed to.

Where to Start?

February 8, 2015 Aly Merritt

PHOTO | simplereminders.com — PHOTO | simplereminders.com

Usually, I'm good with goals. I like making lists and then crossing things off. Each item on a list is a tiny goal, really, and there's nothing more satisfying than marking completed items off.

But I'll be honest, "Create a Blog" has been on my list for nearly a year. And I've done pretty much nothing with it. Oh, I bought a domain and got an account at SquareSpace, and worked on a logo and generally got everything prepped and ready to go, and then ... nothing.

I'd be reading an article or listening to a panelist and think, "That's really interesting! I should blog about that! Oh, wait..."

I actually missed writing (I used to be a journalist), and yet, I couldn't get started. I had a lot of thoughts I wanted to share on Client Success and tech and SaaS companies and the ATL startup scene, and yet, it just seemed so daunting to begin.

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, actually, because I'm a big proponent of good time management and not procrastinating. I'm known as someone who gets stuff done. I have a reputation to uphold here, people! (Okay, it's a pretty dorky reputation, but still.)

Well, I'm done with all that. I committed myself to getting a blog up and running as part of my quarterly goals, and I asked my Director of Client Success, Katie, to help hold me accountable. (I don't know if you've met Katie, but trust me, she is not someone to whom you want to overpromise and underdeliver.)

And now, I'm proud to say, I've actually done it! The blog is up! I got the structure in place and wrote a list of blog topics, and even talked about myself a bit (I think that was the hardest part, actually).

Sure, it's young yet. I've got to build up some posts and write some more stuff and do the social media thing. But setting the goal was, as Tony Robbins says, "The first step in turning the invisible into the visible."

Who knows where it can go now? I'm looking forward to the journey!